Make yourself at home in New York

The top hotels of New York are some of the most exceptional in
the world for service, design, and location. But as with other
cities, space is a premium and unless you're checking into one of
the most upscale - such as the vast Meadow Suite at the Crosby Street Hotel, you might find your standard double a
little cramped. However, savvy travellers can find space on a
budget by renting an upscale apartment instead.

As well as saving on hotel rates, you can keep the fridge
well-stocked with full-size bottles to avoid the mini-bar sting,
cook and eat if you don't feel like going out for dinner, invite
friends over for late-night parties, and do pretty much anything
you want to (unlike guests at the Standard Hotel, which came under
fire for encouraging exhibitionism in its windows).

Companies such as onefinestay.com rent out
smart apartments all over the city. The London-based house-rental
company has just launched in New York, with swanky one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan and
Brooklyn available from as little as $135 (about £85) per night.
Families can get great value, too: two- and three-bedroom
apartments are available from $365 (about £231).

An interior designer's three-bedroom place (pictured), just off
Museum Mile in Upper East Side, for example, costs from $815 (about
£516) per night, while one hotel in the same area has double rooms
from $800 (about £507). In leafy Fort Greene in Brooklyn, a two-bedroom apartment costs from $240 (about
£152) per night.

Each apartment has iPhones loaded with tips on where to eat,
what to see and what to do in the neighbourhood. To really feel
like a local, hire a Citi Bike (24-hour passes cost $9.95) and tour
the city on two wheels.